Presented by Phil Duran (he/him), Director of Advocacy & Research, Rainbow Health
This breakout session will review some of the most common tools advocates use for seeking coverage for gender-affirming care, with a particular emphasis on recent (or anticipated) developments.
While much progress has been made in recent years, transgender/nonbinary individuals in Minnesota and beyond continue to experience substantial and persistent barriers to coverage for gender-affirming care. Many of these obstacles can be overcome, but achieving success often depends on developing a plan specific to the particular type of coverage an individual has: Medicare, Medical Assistance (Medicaid), individual coverage, large-group plans, and more – with various exceptions and complications along the way. Tools are available in both the federal and state contexts, and recent developments have expanded the effectiveness of some of these, particularly at the state level. This session will outline the most significant opportunities for advocacy, and help practitioners identify some of the critical questions to ask to determine the most useful way to advise a client on moving forward.
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Phil Duran
Phil Duran, Director of Advocacy and Research, oversees Rainbow Health’s advocacy and research programs, including its Aging Initiative, public policy development, and community research. As an experienced attorney and civil rights advocate, Phil also assists our legal team with cases in the areas of trans health and human rights.
Phil spent 18 years as legal director at OutFront Minnesota. He has been a member of the Minneapolis Civil Rights Commission and Transgender Issues Workgroup, and of Governor Mark Dayton’s Task Force on the Prevention of School Bullying. He was a founding board member of the Minnesota Lavender Bar Association and served as the first out president of the Minnesota State Bar Association, where he remains a member of its Health Law Section. In his spare time, he is an avid reader, lover of vintage photography and antiques.